YOUR SAY: Voting for animals, pirates and dope

It was perturbing allocating votes in the senate to the Help End Marijuana Prohibition, The Animal Justice Party and The Pirate Party (aptly listed under R on the ballot paper), simply on the grounds that they seem less bonkers than the power-hungry Mussolini's, the Donald Trump wannabes, the racist Nazis/KKK and the psycho climate change deniers/earth-killers. The right wing, mean-spirited parties belong in Davy Jones' Locker.

The Pirate Party (formally known as The Sex Party) are pro-euthanasia and will repeal laws that prevent the territories enacting voluntary assisted-dying legislation. The group also calls for transparency for politicians and opposes the offshore detention of refugees.

The Animal Justice Party want to ban live exports, legislate to protect forests and marine habitats from further destruction, invest in clean energy and transition from animal to plant-based agriculture.

Love Australia or Leave... should LEAVE the building and Australia. The Yellow Vests of Australia sound frighteningly dangerous - especially when you consider what The Yellow Vests get up to in France. The Rise Up Party are also islamophobic and racist. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers sound like the red neck hillbillies from Alabama. The Christian Democratic Party want to mix religion with politics, which is never, ever wise.

I can understand why some voters vandalise or share their thoughts across the page in the form of something rather profane and/or offensive upon opening up their senate paper and seeing the sad state of affairs before them. I felt despondent, but completing a donkey vote does little to rectify the situation. Kick these bastards where it hurts, which is in the box... (the ballot box) and don't vote for them.